Genealogy and DNA

The purpose of this blog is to share thoughts, comments and issues, as well as hints and suggestions that may help extend your own knowledge of family. As an advocate of DNA testing to support traditional genealogy, my focus is on DNA and newsworthy topics. Do not expect daily publication.
My own genealogy (nonliving persons only) is at www.doriswheeler.org and at http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=PED&db=dorisw&id=I1128..

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

As more advertising brings in more of the curious, DNA testing is beginning to grow at an exponential rate with Ancestry having now passed the 5 million mark. It was at 4 million just in April of this year. If you haven't yet done so, I hope you will join the growing hordes. The more who test, the more likely we will all find new cousins, new family connections, and grow our family trees.

But don't stop with an Ancestry test. Order a free transfer at Family Tree DNA to find still more matches, more tools, and the opportunity to do more testing -- Y-DNA (males only) for the direct paternal line, mtDNA (males and females) for the direct maternal line, advanced Y-DNA testing to take part in cutting edge science. A free transfer is also available to My Heritage.

If you are interested in health reports, you might also want to test with 23andMe. They offer a combined health and ancestry test.

Once you have tested, be sure to join Gedmatch (free) and upload your raw data from any one of these companies. It provides a treasure chest of tools to manage and evaluate your matches, as well as an ever expanding database.

Saturday, August 5, 2017

I know that we are all involved with autosomal DNA
(Ancestry, 23andMe and Family Finder from Family Tree DNA), but are you
supplementing it with Y-DNA and mtDNA? Don’t overlook their value.

For example, you might learn about your early family roots through archaeological studies and haplogroup projects that often start with haplogroup studies at Family Tree DNA. A brand new study is dear to my heart. As a fan of early
Greek history and mythology since early childhood, I was thrilled to see that
my GG grandfather, whose Y-DNA haplogroup is J2b2, shared the J in this tested
group of 14 women and five men, four of whom were J and one was G. You can read
about
it here.

Another reason to test the Y and mt DNA is to help confirm
suspected relationships in your atDNA matches. Since the Y tests only the
direct paternal line, an atDNA match that is also a Y-DNA match can add
strength to an argument for (or against) a particular relationship. Likewise,
the mtDNA for a direct maternal line match.

Notice that Y-DNA and mtDNA are best tested with Family Tree DNA, which also permits free* transfer into Family Finder from the other main testing companies, thus providing access to more atDNA matches. For the nominal fee of $19*, you can also have access to FTDNA's many tools, including Family Matching (that can help align matches with your maternal and paternal sides), chromosome mapping and more.

Of course, an essential element of DNA testing is a family tree. Make it as full and deep as you can, excluding living persons but including cousins and their children, complete with dates and places of birth, marriage and death at a minimum, or as much as you can find and back as far as you know. Upload that tree everywhere in the form of a GEDCOM. If your only tree is online (that is, you do not have one on your computer in your own genealogy program), you can usually download a GEDCOM from the hosting company (Ancestry, MyHeritage, etc.), then upload it to other sites.

If you haven't already joined Gedmatch, do so! Once you have a Gedmatch ID, be sure to post it everywhere. I have mine on my public profile at Ancestry, FTDNA, 23andMe, DNA.land, MyHeritage, Wikitree and more. To post it at FamilySearch, I had to add it as a custom fact to each of my deceased parents' pages.

Friday, August 4, 2017

Are you ready to see what more you can learn about your DNA? Notice! This applies only to male testers and Y-DNA. (Of course, women can participate by finding a male relative to do the actual testing.)

Family Tree DNA launched the Big Y a few years ago, and a handful of other companies have followed, slowly expanding databases and providing the means to learn more about the Y tree of mankind. At the same time, some dedicated genealogists are beginning to make inroads into tweaking large family databases and solving long-standing questions about descent lines from 500 or more years ago.

To learn about what might be done in your own family project, see Blaine Bettinger's blog. Also, this link will take you to a new study just published in the Journal of One-Name Studies.

Thursday, July 6, 2017

If you, like me, sometimes forget the old and true genealogy sites, take a moment to revisit Rootsweb, WorldConnect, Genforum, Cyndi's List, New York Post Cards (Old Futon), and more. Don't forget the local genealogical and historical societies. Some of these are hanging by a thread. They need our support and, most of all, to know they're still loved. Otherwise, they must disappear into the mist and that would be a devastating loss to all.

Friday, April 21, 2017

Are you, like me, frustrated by the lack of DNA matches to distant German relatives? Modern-day Germany has not welcomed DNA testing for genealogy, but there may be some light at the end of the tunnel.

A newcomer in the field is teaming up with another company to focus on DNA testing in Germany in order to build a database for matching. They have completed a similar project in the British Isles and provide location-specific results for that area. They are seeking out testers whose four grandparents lived nearby each other in Germany and offer a discounted price to those who qualify. My hope is that their German project will bring more light to what can only be called the secret world of genetic genealogy in Germany.

If you want to encourage this effort, you may want to order a DNA test from Living DNA. They have a sale on right now. Their matching service is not available yet but they promise it soon will be. Meanwhile, let's get those Germans testing so we can make progress with our genealogy searches.